Silver Wedding Part IV

Mr Patel who runs the little shop near the station in Desmonds suburb is relieved when Des offers to take over running the business while he is recovering from his injuries. Des finds that he enjoys being involved in a small hands on business much more than having a vague managerial position in a big firm. He and Mr Patel talk a lot and finally he decides to ask for redundancy and buy into the Patel business. Deirdre is not at all happy. She is still focussed on her preparations for the Silver Wedding, still worrying that people wont admire their party giving abilities and see how well she and her family have done. And she very much dislikes Desmond giving up being a manager to run a corner shop. Anna who is the helpful one in the family tries to soothe her and tell her that it doesn't matter that Brendan works on a farm, and that Helen seems to have no direction in her life. Brendan agrees to come back to London for the anniversary party, though he has always hated having to pretend that the family is doing much better than they really are. Deirdre tries to make the best of things, but she's not happy with all the changes in her family's life. Fr Jim had wondered when she told him she wanted to get married quickly, that she might be pregnant, and she denied it. But it turns out that she was pregnant, and went through a fairly speedy marriage, but she lost the baby early in the pregnancy, and her next child Anna was born a respectable time after the wedding. But Deirdre will never admit to this, to being less than perfect.